


The Epilogue To The Prologue

by Newsetofproblems



Category: The Beatles (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, John Lennon Lives, M/M, Old Age, Old John Lennon, Old Married Couple, Old Mclennon, Old Paul McCartney - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but they cute, i need to deal with my sadness somehow, this is pure cope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:55:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27329887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Newsetofproblems/pseuds/Newsetofproblems
Summary: The day an interview is scheduled at their house, Paul finds himself reminiscing about his relationship with John through to the current year.
Relationships: John Lennon/Paul McCartney
Comments: 23
Kudos: 56





	The Epilogue To The Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So I started writing this kind of for John's birthday then dropped it halfway through. But after I finished the most recent chapter of trouble in paradise I decided to pick this up and finished. This is fluff in its purest form so please enjoy <3

Paul stared out the window as the kettle bubbled, wrapping his dressing gown around him just a little tighter. Dawn always looked so beautiful this time of year. Being away from his warm bed was a small price to pay. Then again, he thought as he felt warm arms being wrapped around him from behind, perhaps that was a selfish thought.

“Why are ye awake so early?” John rasped as he rested his nose on Paul’s shoulder.

“I could ask you the same question,” Paul replied. “it’s rare to see you awake before nine.”

“The bed was cold,” his husband murmured. “You know I can’t sleep well without ye there.” Paul chuckled and brought John’s hand to his lips to kiss it.

“Look at you. Almost eighty years old, and still so needy,” he teased.

“Damn right,” John shot back. “And as the younger of us, ye should be looking after me in me old age, Mr. Lennon-McCartney.” He nuzzled further into Paul’s shoulder.

“Hm, watch out with that attitude Sean and Julian might just put you into a home… Mr. Lennon-McCartney.” John snorted.

“I’d like to see the little bastards try.”

“I’m telling them you said that.”

“Good.”

The kettle clicked, drawing Paul’s attention back to the tea he’d been planning to make.

“You want a cup?” Paul asked, turning his head to catch a glimpse of John.

“Mm, yes please,” the other man replied, and Paul felt the warmth of John leave his back. He turned to see his husband’s face, aged and delicate, lines running across the skin. The eyes were still the same though. He remembered seeing a teddy boy with those eyes, once. Long ago.

“Can we go back to bed after this?” John asked.

“You can,” Paul deadpanned.

“You’re cruel, son.”

“It’s been said.”

“Please? I wanna get in a few more hours before this bloody interview this afternoon.” He batted his eyelashes. Paul sighed, never really planning to put up a fight.

“Alright,” he sighed. John smiled.

“I love you,” he said.

“You’re easy.”

“Always have been a bit of a slag, haven’t I?” John quipped. He closed the distance between them once again, pulling Paul into a hug. “But I gave all that up, see? Cause I wasn’t lying. I really do love you,” he said, giving Paul a chaste kiss. Paul giggled.

“Soft lad,” he murmured.

“Yes,” John agreed. “But you married me, so you’ll have to put up with it.” They kissed again.

He tried not to dwell on it too much, but Paul often wondered what the old him would have thought about this. The old him, that was taking shots at John in his songs, only for John to take just as many shots back. The old him, a farmer with kids and a wonderful wife that no longer needed John, despite barely being able to make it through the day sober. The old him that could feel John slipping through his fingers at the end of every session, though he never dared to try to regain his grip. The old him that felt as though he and John had conquered the world. The old him who was fifteen, desperate to impress this cool older boy he’d seen on the bus once. Would they even believe it? But then he wondered… did he even really care what they would think? It dawned on him, staring at John’s face just how lucky he was. To live so many lifetimes with this man. Strangers, friends, acquaintances, lovers, partners. That after all these years, they were able to have this, together.

“I love you too,” Paul murmured. “So much.” John looked up from the cup of tea in he had in his hands and gave a smile that seemed as natural as breathing.

“I know.”

Solo interviews were rarely requested of these days, ever since they announced they were a couple all those years ago, the media began to see them as a package, two in one, inseparable. It bothered Paul at first, after all he still wanted to be recognised for his accomplishments as a solo artist, he wanted that for John too for that matter. However, he soon found that it was not joint interviews that would compromise their individuality, though rather interviewers themselves. Some interviewers had trouble seeing them as two different people, others had no trouble at all. Paul realised interviews were the same as they always had, he really had nothing to worry about. Besides they seemed to make John happy so whatever his feelings were, it was a small price to pay. John would often act rather… embarrassing, being sappy and sentimental in a way that was too over the top for anyone to believe it was sincere. “Because I love my Paulie,” “My wonderful, beautiful, handsome, sexy, very good, never bad husband,” “Of all the men named Paul I’ve been married to, he’s my favourite.” Paul would just nudge him and roll his eyes. He loved it.

“Lennon-McCartney I was released in 1981 and it was the first time you two had collaborated together since The Beatles, Lennon-McCartney II was released a whole 26 years later as sort of a way to ‘announce’ your relationship to the public as it were. Do you think there will ever be an occasion for a Lennon-McCartney III?”

“I dunno. When we have a baby,” John deadpanned and took a sip of coffee. Paul chuckled as the interviewer sputtered. It was ten days until John’s 80th birthday, so naturally every media outlet was trying to get some sort of interview- scoop, whatever. It was expected at this point, neither of them particularly minded.

“I think… y’know, if we ever feel like doing one, we will. Because the two other times, like you said there was a sort of reason behind it. We had something we wanted to say as partners. And if we ever feel that way again, we probably will do one. But I mean, nowdays we just help each other out with our own records,” Paul explained.

“If ye look at the credits on our solo records after ’81 half of them will be a Lennon-McCartney credit anyway,” John added. “Even if it’s not all on one album, we still do plenty of songwriting together.” The interviewer nodded thoughtfully.

“I want to take you back to 2007 when the two of you had just announced your relationship to the world, were you ever worried about the general public’s reaction to the news? How it would change your legacies? After all a lot of your fans and yourselves for that matter didn’t exactly grow up in an accepting time… were you worried about them turning against you and after thirteen years do you think any of those things have actually taken place?”

“No.” John said simply. “We went public for our sake not fer our fans and if any of them had a problem they could stick it.”

“Of course it’s gonna enter your mind y’know, what people will think, what the fans will think , cause it was a big deal but really whatever fear we had about it… you can’t let it control your life y’know?” Paul added.

“And besides what were they gonna do anyway? Boycott us? Burn our records? They’ve been doin’ that to us since ’66.”

Paul smiled. He could remember John saying something similar to him a few years ago. In truth, Paul had been scared. He’d been terrified. At the time, the media had already been scrutinising his every move. He was still consumed by an ugly divorce battle with… _her_ , and the prying eyes of outsiders were even more regular than usual. It was only a matter of time before the media found out, the only question was _how_ they would find out. He would often send himself into a panic envisioning the reactions before they had even happened. He had predicted that, on top of the already existing prejudices there were bound to be accusations. That is relationship with John was why his previous marriage ended, that all his past relationships were built on lies. But still, Paul much preferred going public on his own terms rather than the alternative which most likely would’ve been some grainy picture taken from a bush across the street. And that whole time… John had been nothing but supportive. He hated to admit it but until they had gotten together Paul had forgotten just how _kind_ John could be, and that kindness had shone like a night sky throughout that whole, stressful process. He wouldn’t blamed John if he had cracked under the pressure, if he decided the whole thing wasn’t worth it but he never did. And when they inevitably did go public, sure they had gotten a lot of the reactions Paul had expected, but he wasn’t nearly as scared, because he had John by his side the entire time. He took John’s hand in his own in front of the interviewer.

“I wouldn’t do anything differently,” he said simply.

The interviewer left a few hours later and Paul found John staring out the window wistfully, watching the willow tree flow back and forth in the wind.

“Ye always give the same answers,” he murmured. Paul blinked, caught off guard.

“Well they always ask the same questions,” he countered, walking towards John. “At least I’m not like you, all your interviews contradict each other.” John turned to him and grinned.

“So? It’s more fun that way,” he snickered. He turned to face Paul. “I do like to shroud meself in a bit of mystery.” Paul snorted.

“It’s not mystery it’s talking out of your arse.” That got a full body laugh out of John. He stepped closer to Paul, taking both his hands.

“And you let me get away with it,” he said. Paul smiled and shook his head.

“Yeah I do,” he giggled and placed a chaste kiss on John’s forehead. "I shouldn't... but I do."

Their past overwhelmed Paul sometimes. It wasn’t always easy to see how he could’ve gotten here, yet at the same time it felt as if it was the most natural conclusion in the world. Ultimately what mattered was the here and now. He was with John, like he always had been. Loving him, like he always had been.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed please think about leaving a comment, they really make my day.
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr: theotherproblems.tumblr.com


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